This invention relates in general to surgical instruments and in particular to a suture snare instrument for facilitating the use of sutures in laparoscopic surgical procedures.
Laparoscopic surgery is a relatively new operating technique which is much less invasive than conventional surgery and, therefore, may be performed using only a local anesthetic. Such laparoscopic surgery involves puncturing the abdominal wall and introducing an inert gas within the abdomen. The introduction of the inert gas expands the abdomen to facilitate access to the body parts requiring surgery and visual observation of the procedure. A hollow cylindrical tube is inserted into the puncture and is subsequently used as a conduit through which one or more elongated surgical instruments may be inserted within the abdomen. If desired, a plurality of punctures may be formed through the abdominal wall to facilitate the use of several surgical instruments.
During such laparoscopic surgeries, abdominal wall blood vessels may be injured and cause bleeding. When this occurs, it is necessary to stop such bleeding. Cauterization and the use of a folley-balloon-tamponade technique have been used in the past for stopping these abdominal wall bleeders during laparoscopic surgery. Although effective, these techniques are somewhat cumbersome and may result in undesirable delays or, at times, abandonment of the laparoscopic procedure. Sutures are well known for stopping external bleeding and are relatively quick and simple to employ. However, sutures are not usually employed in laparoscopic surgery because of difficulties in introducing and using them in the abdominal cavity. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved surgical instrument for facilitating the use of sutures in laparoscopic surgical procedures.